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Taxpayer Update: NEW POLL Government still in, Labour largest party đ | RBNZ spend $850k on flights đ« | The schools spending $18.5k on trips for teachers đ»
| From | Tory Relf <[email protected]> |
| Subject | Taxpayer Update: NEW POLL Government still in, Labour largest party đ | RBNZ spend $850k on flights đ« | The schools spending $18.5k on trips for teachers đ» |
| Date | December 10, 2025 12:32 AM |
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Hi Friend,
Happy Wednesday. Today we've got the numbers from the last Taxpayersâ Union-Curia Poll of the year, the $218,000 of dodgy misspending by school principals, and the ridiculous amount of money the Reserve Bank are spending shuttling staff between offices.
Weâve also got a few extra thoughts on the new Planning and Natural Environment Bills, plus a warning before next weekâs pre-Christmas opening of the books. Letâs go.
NEW POLL: Government holds the lead, but Labour remain the largest party đ
The Coalition would return to Government, but Labour would become the largest party in Parliament if an election were held tomorrow according to the last Taxpayersâ Union-Curia Poll of 2025.
Neither bloc will be entering election year feeling comfortable with these results.
Labour drops 1.7 points to 31.6 percent, while National drops 0.2 points to 30.0 percent.
The Greens gain 1.6 points to 10.8 percent, ACT gains 0.3 points to 8.9 percent, New Zealand First drops 1.0 point to 8.1 percent, while Te PÄti MÄori drops 0.2 points to 3.1 percent.
Despite dropping one seat, Labour would be the largest party in parliament on 41 seats, while National remains on 39. The Greens gain two seats to 14, while NZ First drops one to 11. ACT remains on 11 seats, while Te PÄti MÄori drops two to four.
On this poll, the combined projected seats for the Centre-Right is down one seat to 61 seats, while the combined seats for Centre-Left is down one seat to 59. So the Centre-Right bloc could still form a Government but barely.
So let's look at how voters are feeling about the leaders.
Luxonâs net favourability drops 3 points to -13 percent, while Chris Hipkins drops 5 points to -7 percent.
In the major voting issues, cost of living has jumped 4.1 points to 32.6 percent, more than double the next closest issue (the economy).
For more information on the poll and details about the methodology, head over to our website <[link removed]>.
The one power councils should lose before a rates cap đ§ą
Friend, this week the credit ratings agency S&P warned that council finances will be squeezed <[link removed]> and the books will be harder to balance following the introduction of the Governmentâs planned rates cap.
Well, yeah â thatâs kind of the point. A rates cap will force councils to prioritise spending and even make some tough decisions. They might even have to focus on the basics, or, in the Prime Ministerâs words, âstop doing dumb stuffâ.
Councils should be spending less of their own volition but, given that they wonât, a rates cap will force them to do it.
And if councils need help deciphering between the basics and the âdumb stuffâ, our suggestion is to return the law to what it was prior to 2002: take away what's called 'the power of general competence'.
What's that? The power of general competence essentially means local councils can do pretty much anything a person can do, as long as itâs not against the law.
Prior to 2002 councils could only do things if a law specifically said councils were empowered to. By definition, removing the power of general competence would legally limited councils to 'core services' and not, say, giving $128,352 to a MÄori circus school <[link removed]> (classic Auckland Council...).
At our Cap Rates Now protest in Christchurch back in July, Deputy PM David Seymour spoke out against general competence and why â even beyond rates caps â scrapping it would be his top priority for getting council spending under control.Watch the full interview between David and Jordan on our YouTube here. <[link removed]>
So if councils are looking for inspiration, going back to pre-general competence duties would be our recommended place to start.
To read more on how general competence affects council spending, take a moment to read our report Building Better Councils. <[link removed]>
Teachers slammed for misuse of $250,000 of âwellbeing supportâ funding đïž
The Auditor-Generalâs office came out swinging on Monday with the release of the 2024 school audits <[link removed]>, revealing a shocking $248,812 of taxpayersâ money spent on âprofessional coaching and wellbeing supportâ that they wanted to draw attention to.
That is $250k spent by schools - mainly on travel - in ways the Auditor-General canât condone or approve.
Highlights include:
Cannington School (Cave, Canterbury): The school spent $5,000 in wellbeing funds on the principal and spouseâs overseas trip without a clear business purpose or receipts to justify it. It also failed to seek the required Ministry approval and breached the law by not keeping proper accounting records.
Te Kura Kaupapa Maori o Te Tonga o Hokianga (Opononi, Northland): The school spent $6,000 in wellbeing funds on the principalâs personal trip to Turkey, despite no clear business purpose and in breach of its own travel policy. It also failed to seek required Ministry approval for this benefit and later donated a van at a $29,994 loss.
St Maryâs School (Palmerston North, ManawatĆ«-Whanganui): The school spent $11,198 of wellbeing funds on the principalâs travel to Rome, with stopovers in Singapore and Thailand, without any clear business purpose. It also failed to seek the required Ministry approval for this additional benefit.
And here's something you might not have noticed. Remember the school/principal who went after David Seymour over the mouldy school lunches last week? Her school is the same one that was pulled up for spending $18,500 on a senior leadership trip to Queenstown.
That school spent $10,000 on accommodation and $6,000 on meals, drinks, and tourist activities. Given the moral outrage over lunches, you'd think they'd bother to make sure that money meant for educating kids would be, well, used to educate kids...
The Auditor-General concluded that there was no clear case for the spend having business purposes. Maybe if the management spent less time in Queenstown and more time at the school, those lunches wouldn't have been left to go mouldy?
The list makes for incredible reading: just for yourself here <[link removed]>.
Reserve Bank spending $850,000 in a year on Wellington/Auckland air-bridge  âïž
Most government agencies have tightened their travel spending, but the Reserve Bank seems to have gone the other way, running what looks more like a frequent-flyer programme than a central bank.
Rhys Hurley, our Investigations Coordinator, has been back at it again. He's revealed that the Reserve Bank are shelling out $850,000 to shuttle staff up from Wellington to fill their $65 million (mostly empty) swanky waterfront offices in Auckland <[link removed]>.
Our OIA revealed that 45 members of staff travelled between Wellington and Auckland at least ten times last year, including contractors. <[link removed]>Thatâs at least 450 times a meeting could have been on Zoom at zero cost to the taxpayersâŠ
The Bank is now under new leadership. Time will tell...
Brace yourself for next week, Friend đš
<[link removed]>
Next week is the Half Year Economic and Fiscal Update (HYEFU) â the pre-Christmas 'opening of the books'.
It's the last chance for the Government to course-correct before we go into election year - but for anyone thinking the Government is going to pull a rabbit out of the hat, it's not looking likely.
The only polite way I can describe Finance Minister Nicola Willis' pre-HYEFU interview on Newstalk ZB drive time on Monday night was as a train crash (especially from about 5 minutes in) <[link removed]>.
I'm not one to condone vulgar language, but it was hard to disagree with the listener's feedback text (which was readout on air) describing the Minister's answers as 'slippery as a turd in spring rain'. đ
Two years ago, Nicola Willis literally invented a new <[link removed]>operating balance <[link removed]> accounting measure (which Treasury never supported) to exclude ACC liabilities so that she could say she'll 'get the books back to surplus'.
When Nicola Willis became Minister of Finance, the surplus was 4 years away. In May's Budget, it was still 4 years away. Next week, itâs likely to be 5 years awayâŠ
You can listen to the interview here. <[link removed]>
Who funds the Taxpayers' Union?! đĄ
You know a politician lacks arguments when they have to resort to the tired line of "who funds you?" to try and rebuff questions from Taxpayers' Union.
So for the benefit of the Minister of Finance (and the leader of the Labour Party) â who's taken objection to our asking why she's spending more than Grant Robertson despite promising to spend less <[link removed]> â let me be clear: our funding is from people who receive this email.
Of our 200,000 email subscribers, 28,754 have donated.
Even if it sometimes annoys some of our friends in Parliament, our very job is to draw attention to the fiscal elephants in the room, including when it doesn't suit the Government's narrative. Right now, the rate of spending, borrowing, and even the structural deficit is worse than it was two years ago.
So to each and everyone of our financial supporters â we say thank you for making our work for Lower Taxes, Less Waste, and More Accountability possible. â€ïž <[link removed]> <[link removed]>
Enjoy the rest of your day.
Tory Relf
Head of Comms
New Zealand Taxpayersâ Union
PS. Our new campaign has been the talk of the town, but what's coming probably isn't what you expect. Keep an eye on your inbox tomorrow morning for a very sweet treat. đ
In the Media:
Stuff Nicola Willis is âflexingâ and NZ does not want to see a duel with a 90s finance minister, says Labour <[link removed]>
RNZ Willis denies claims of sideshow over Richardson debate on government spending <[link removed]>
Pacific Media News Willâs Word: Willis vs Richardson, the economic showdown we didnât see coming <[link removed]>
RNZInland Revenue accused of 'behind closed doors' push for tax on groups <[link removed]>
The PostItâs happening - Ruth Richardson accepts Nicola Willis debate challenge <[link removed]>
The Spinoff Ruth Richardson v Nicola Willis, and the mother of all epochal debates <[link removed]>
Waikato Times Former finance minister accepts Willisâ challenge
RNZ The Richardson v Willis fiscal boxing match <[link removed]>
RNZ Coalition reveals Resource Management Act replacement,but will it stand the test of time? <[link removed]>
RNZ Ruth Richardson agrees to debate country's fiscal position with Nicola Willis <[link removed]>
StuffMother of all debates: Willis wants finance faceoff with new nemesis Ruth Richardson <[link removed]>
RNZ'Anytime, anywhere': Nicola Willis challenges Ruth Richardson to debate <[link removed]>
The PostItâs happening - Ruth Richardson accepts Nicola Willis debate challenge <[link removed]>
Newstalk ZBNicola Willis: Finance Minister talks TVNZ poll results, surplus and govt spending <[link removed]>
Newstalk ZBHeather du Plessis-Allan Drive: Full Show Podcast 8 December 2025 <[link removed]>
The PlatformIs The Taxpayers Union Trying To Get Finance Minister Nicola Willis Sacked? <[link removed]>
StuffâI want Wellington to be affordableâ: Mayor Little on the cityâs multimillion dollar toilets <[link removed]>
RNZMorning Report Essentials for Monday 8 December <[link removed]>
RNZWeekly interview with Prime Minister, Christopher Luxon <[link removed]>
The PressFew presents for National, Labour or us in the Budget outlook <[link removed]>
New Zealand Taxpayers' Union Inc. · 117 Lambton Quay, Level 4, Wellington 6011, New Zealand
This email was sent to [email protected]. To change your email preferences, click here <[link removed]>.
Authorised by the New Zealand Taxpayers' Union, Level 4, 117 Lambton Quay, Wellington 6011.
Hi Friend,
Happy Wednesday. Today we've got the numbers from the last Taxpayersâ Union-Curia Poll of the year, the $218,000 of dodgy misspending by school principals, and the ridiculous amount of money the Reserve Bank are spending shuttling staff between offices.
Weâve also got a few extra thoughts on the new Planning and Natural Environment Bills, plus a warning before next weekâs pre-Christmas opening of the books. Letâs go.
NEW POLL: Government holds the lead, but Labour remain the largest party đ
The Coalition would return to Government, but Labour would become the largest party in Parliament if an election were held tomorrow according to the last Taxpayersâ Union-Curia Poll of 2025.
Neither bloc will be entering election year feeling comfortable with these results.
Labour drops 1.7 points to 31.6 percent, while National drops 0.2 points to 30.0 percent.
The Greens gain 1.6 points to 10.8 percent, ACT gains 0.3 points to 8.9 percent, New Zealand First drops 1.0 point to 8.1 percent, while Te PÄti MÄori drops 0.2 points to 3.1 percent.
Despite dropping one seat, Labour would be the largest party in parliament on 41 seats, while National remains on 39. The Greens gain two seats to 14, while NZ First drops one to 11. ACT remains on 11 seats, while Te PÄti MÄori drops two to four.
On this poll, the combined projected seats for the Centre-Right is down one seat to 61 seats, while the combined seats for Centre-Left is down one seat to 59. So the Centre-Right bloc could still form a Government but barely.
So let's look at how voters are feeling about the leaders.
Luxonâs net favourability drops 3 points to -13 percent, while Chris Hipkins drops 5 points to -7 percent.
In the major voting issues, cost of living has jumped 4.1 points to 32.6 percent, more than double the next closest issue (the economy).
For more information on the poll and details about the methodology, head over to our website <[link removed]>.
The one power councils should lose before a rates cap đ§ą
Friend, this week the credit ratings agency S&P warned that council finances will be squeezed <[link removed]> and the books will be harder to balance following the introduction of the Governmentâs planned rates cap.
Well, yeah â thatâs kind of the point. A rates cap will force councils to prioritise spending and even make some tough decisions. They might even have to focus on the basics, or, in the Prime Ministerâs words, âstop doing dumb stuffâ.
Councils should be spending less of their own volition but, given that they wonât, a rates cap will force them to do it.
And if councils need help deciphering between the basics and the âdumb stuffâ, our suggestion is to return the law to what it was prior to 2002: take away what's called 'the power of general competence'.
What's that? The power of general competence essentially means local councils can do pretty much anything a person can do, as long as itâs not against the law.
Prior to 2002 councils could only do things if a law specifically said councils were empowered to. By definition, removing the power of general competence would legally limited councils to 'core services' and not, say, giving $128,352 to a MÄori circus school <[link removed]> (classic Auckland Council...).
At our Cap Rates Now protest in Christchurch back in July, Deputy PM David Seymour spoke out against general competence and why â even beyond rates caps â scrapping it would be his top priority for getting council spending under control.Watch the full interview between David and Jordan on our YouTube here. <[link removed]>
So if councils are looking for inspiration, going back to pre-general competence duties would be our recommended place to start.
To read more on how general competence affects council spending, take a moment to read our report Building Better Councils. <[link removed]>
Teachers slammed for misuse of $250,000 of âwellbeing supportâ funding đïž
The Auditor-Generalâs office came out swinging on Monday with the release of the 2024 school audits <[link removed]>, revealing a shocking $248,812 of taxpayersâ money spent on âprofessional coaching and wellbeing supportâ that they wanted to draw attention to.
That is $250k spent by schools - mainly on travel - in ways the Auditor-General canât condone or approve.
Highlights include:
Cannington School (Cave, Canterbury): The school spent $5,000 in wellbeing funds on the principal and spouseâs overseas trip without a clear business purpose or receipts to justify it. It also failed to seek the required Ministry approval and breached the law by not keeping proper accounting records.
Te Kura Kaupapa Maori o Te Tonga o Hokianga (Opononi, Northland): The school spent $6,000 in wellbeing funds on the principalâs personal trip to Turkey, despite no clear business purpose and in breach of its own travel policy. It also failed to seek required Ministry approval for this benefit and later donated a van at a $29,994 loss.
St Maryâs School (Palmerston North, ManawatĆ«-Whanganui): The school spent $11,198 of wellbeing funds on the principalâs travel to Rome, with stopovers in Singapore and Thailand, without any clear business purpose. It also failed to seek the required Ministry approval for this additional benefit.
And here's something you might not have noticed. Remember the school/principal who went after David Seymour over the mouldy school lunches last week? Her school is the same one that was pulled up for spending $18,500 on a senior leadership trip to Queenstown.
That school spent $10,000 on accommodation and $6,000 on meals, drinks, and tourist activities. Given the moral outrage over lunches, you'd think they'd bother to make sure that money meant for educating kids would be, well, used to educate kids...
The Auditor-General concluded that there was no clear case for the spend having business purposes. Maybe if the management spent less time in Queenstown and more time at the school, those lunches wouldn't have been left to go mouldy?
The list makes for incredible reading: just for yourself here <[link removed]>.
Reserve Bank spending $850,000 in a year on Wellington/Auckland air-bridge  âïž
Most government agencies have tightened their travel spending, but the Reserve Bank seems to have gone the other way, running what looks more like a frequent-flyer programme than a central bank.
Rhys Hurley, our Investigations Coordinator, has been back at it again. He's revealed that the Reserve Bank are shelling out $850,000 to shuttle staff up from Wellington to fill their $65 million (mostly empty) swanky waterfront offices in Auckland <[link removed]>.
Our OIA revealed that 45 members of staff travelled between Wellington and Auckland at least ten times last year, including contractors. <[link removed]>Thatâs at least 450 times a meeting could have been on Zoom at zero cost to the taxpayersâŠ
The Bank is now under new leadership. Time will tell...
Brace yourself for next week, Friend đš
<[link removed]>
Next week is the Half Year Economic and Fiscal Update (HYEFU) â the pre-Christmas 'opening of the books'.
It's the last chance for the Government to course-correct before we go into election year - but for anyone thinking the Government is going to pull a rabbit out of the hat, it's not looking likely.
The only polite way I can describe Finance Minister Nicola Willis' pre-HYEFU interview on Newstalk ZB drive time on Monday night was as a train crash (especially from about 5 minutes in) <[link removed]>.
I'm not one to condone vulgar language, but it was hard to disagree with the listener's feedback text (which was readout on air) describing the Minister's answers as 'slippery as a turd in spring rain'. đ
Two years ago, Nicola Willis literally invented a new <[link removed]>operating balance <[link removed]> accounting measure (which Treasury never supported) to exclude ACC liabilities so that she could say she'll 'get the books back to surplus'.
When Nicola Willis became Minister of Finance, the surplus was 4 years away. In May's Budget, it was still 4 years away. Next week, itâs likely to be 5 years awayâŠ
You can listen to the interview here. <[link removed]>
Who funds the Taxpayers' Union?! đĄ
You know a politician lacks arguments when they have to resort to the tired line of "who funds you?" to try and rebuff questions from Taxpayers' Union.
So for the benefit of the Minister of Finance (and the leader of the Labour Party) â who's taken objection to our asking why she's spending more than Grant Robertson despite promising to spend less <[link removed]> â let me be clear: our funding is from people who receive this email.
Of our 200,000 email subscribers, 28,754 have donated.
Even if it sometimes annoys some of our friends in Parliament, our very job is to draw attention to the fiscal elephants in the room, including when it doesn't suit the Government's narrative. Right now, the rate of spending, borrowing, and even the structural deficit is worse than it was two years ago.
So to each and everyone of our financial supporters â we say thank you for making our work for Lower Taxes, Less Waste, and More Accountability possible. â€ïž <[link removed]> <[link removed]>
Enjoy the rest of your day.
Tory Relf
Head of Comms
New Zealand Taxpayersâ Union
PS. Our new campaign has been the talk of the town, but what's coming probably isn't what you expect. Keep an eye on your inbox tomorrow morning for a very sweet treat. đ
In the Media:
Stuff Nicola Willis is âflexingâ and NZ does not want to see a duel with a 90s finance minister, says Labour <[link removed]>
RNZ Willis denies claims of sideshow over Richardson debate on government spending <[link removed]>
Pacific Media News Willâs Word: Willis vs Richardson, the economic showdown we didnât see coming <[link removed]>
RNZInland Revenue accused of 'behind closed doors' push for tax on groups <[link removed]>
The PostItâs happening - Ruth Richardson accepts Nicola Willis debate challenge <[link removed]>
The Spinoff Ruth Richardson v Nicola Willis, and the mother of all epochal debates <[link removed]>
Waikato Times Former finance minister accepts Willisâ challenge
RNZ The Richardson v Willis fiscal boxing match <[link removed]>
RNZ Coalition reveals Resource Management Act replacement,but will it stand the test of time? <[link removed]>
RNZ Ruth Richardson agrees to debate country's fiscal position with Nicola Willis <[link removed]>
StuffMother of all debates: Willis wants finance faceoff with new nemesis Ruth Richardson <[link removed]>
RNZ'Anytime, anywhere': Nicola Willis challenges Ruth Richardson to debate <[link removed]>
The PostItâs happening - Ruth Richardson accepts Nicola Willis debate challenge <[link removed]>
Newstalk ZBNicola Willis: Finance Minister talks TVNZ poll results, surplus and govt spending <[link removed]>
Newstalk ZBHeather du Plessis-Allan Drive: Full Show Podcast 8 December 2025 <[link removed]>
The PlatformIs The Taxpayers Union Trying To Get Finance Minister Nicola Willis Sacked? <[link removed]>
StuffâI want Wellington to be affordableâ: Mayor Little on the cityâs multimillion dollar toilets <[link removed]>
RNZMorning Report Essentials for Monday 8 December <[link removed]>
RNZWeekly interview with Prime Minister, Christopher Luxon <[link removed]>
The PressFew presents for National, Labour or us in the Budget outlook <[link removed]>
New Zealand Taxpayers' Union Inc. · 117 Lambton Quay, Level 4, Wellington 6011, New Zealand
This email was sent to [email protected]. To change your email preferences, click here <[link removed]>.
Authorised by the New Zealand Taxpayers' Union, Level 4, 117 Lambton Quay, Wellington 6011.
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